Toronto Maple Leafs centre John Tavares will get paid this summer. He’ll be a free agent and he’ll score one more lucrative deal before his career is done. At 34, he should be well past his prime, but he appears to be quite ageless.
John Tavares sure picked the right time to have a resurgent season. He’s shown he can still play at a highly competitive level, though he might no longer be the top-line centre he once was. Still, a point-per-game player and has topped 30 goals yet again.
Plus, he’s still an effective leader, even if he is no longer the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He’s the type of player that just about every team would want… for the right price.
That brings me to why I believe he’ll get paid this summer. But it just won’t be the Toronto Maple Leafs who’ll be forced to make massive personnel changes barring an unexpected run to the Stanley Cup Finals.
John Tavares will get paid this summer, but not by Toronto Maple Leafs
Tavares' resurgance is amazing, but it is going to cost the Leafs his services. Previously, I think there was a good chance that the Leafs would have been able to bring Tavares back on a short-term deal that was very team-friendly.
But now that he's flirting with 40 goals and 70 points, Tavares might be forced to look elsewhere to get another massive payday.
So, the question begs, “Who could be interested in signing John Tavares?”
The answer is plenty of teams. There are lots of teams out there that could use a veteran centre who’s still productive, even at 34. Plenty of clubs need depth, and, for the right price, would be willing to sign Tavares to a four or even five-year deal.
Now, there’s another group of teams that could be looking to significantly upgrade their depth. However, we’re talking about rebuilding clubs. My eye is on the Philadelphia Flyers, Buffalo Sabres, or even the Anaheim Ducks who might be willing to take a flyer (no pun intended) on Tavares still being productive in two or three more seasons.
The catch is that Tavares will have to settle for a team that’s not necessarily a contender right now, which seems extremely unlikely.
The best-case scenario for the Leafs and Tavares is that they can come together on a team-friendly deal that keeps Tavares at home and allows the Leafs some salary cap freedom. Tavares late-career resurgance might prevent that from happening, as would an early exit from the Playoffs.
But if the Leafs succeed, and Tavares isn't too greedy, there could still be a good fit here. However, if Tavares really wants to get paid, it won't be in Toronto.